February 14 2023
Written by Stacey G Lewis, RN, BSN, OCN Clinical Research Educator Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center , Clinical Protocol and Data Management, Winston Salem, NC
On behalf of the Protocol Support Committee (PSC), we would like to thank everyone who attended the Semiannual NRG Oncology Meeting in sunny Orlando. There were 155 in-person attendees and 300 virtual attendees for the Introduction to Clinical Trials education sessions on Thursday. We sincerely apologize for the technical errors with the zoom settings including some unwanted virtual chatter and capacity issues, however these issues were addressed and resolved in time for our Friday morning session. The Friday morning PSC Nurse/CRA Continuing Education session included 108 in-person attendees and 232 virtual participants. The members of the PSC and NRG Oncology appreciate everyone’s patience while we continue to navigate the ins and outs of the hybrid-meeting model. Please give a hand to our wonderful Education & Training Working Group led by Lead Facilitator Cindy Licavoli, along with Co-facilitators Marissa Weiss, and Lauren Seames, for putting on two days of fabulous programming.
Thursday morning’s Introduction to Clinical Trials: Principles of NRG Oncology Clinical Trial Management for Nurses & CRAs education session got off to a great start with several topics presented. Sharon Hartson Stine, NRG Oncology Interim Executive Director, welcomed our new members and provided an overview of NRG Oncology. Next, Karan Boparai led the CTN/CRA group through NRG Oncology Membership followed by a presentation on Regulatory Affairs by Judy Langer. Sara McCartney provided insightful information about Expedited Adverse Event Reporting and the entertaining Brian Miller then discussed topics of Investigational Drug Management. After a short break the morning of learning continued with several topics of interest including Medidata Rave, Quality Assurance Audits, Pathology/Biospecimen Collections, RECIST Criteria (always a crowd favorite), and Mentorship Program overview.
Thursday afternoon was packed with discussion session topics for breakout groups that included Patient Screening & Enrollment, Treatment Modalities in Clinical Trial Management, Data Management, and Adverse Event Reporting. Discussion groups became lively at times with enthusiastic participation by many! Thank you to the many PSC members who participated in topic presentations and meeting coordination: Cindy Licavoli, Erin McCaig, Tiffany Elsea, Terry Thomas, Pamela Mason, Alison Ivey, Alex Kudryashev, Becky Kramer, Rachel Lacy, Mary Smrekar, Donna White, Courtney Montgomery, Lauren Seames, Marissa Weiss & Kristen Kotsko.
Friday’s PSC Continuing Education Sessions facilitated by Lauren Seames included Research Operations Initiative Updates, CTSU Updates, PMB- Aurora Overview, and a relaxing moment of Guided Immersive Meditation. After a short break, sessions resumed with presentations about Alternative and Complementary Therapies & Oncology, and Proton Therapy Based Approval & Credentialing for Clinical Trials. One of many highlights from Friday also included a panel discussion for “What it Takes to Have an Exceptional Audit”.
Thank you to everyone who participated by presenting, facilitating, and asking questions. So much valuable information was presented, and you can find pdf of slide presentations and recordings from the Thursday and Friday morning sessions at this link (login required):
https://www.nrgoncology.org/Meetings-Resources/Meetings/January-2023-Semiannual-Meeting/Agenda-Session-Information/PSC-Meeting-Resources-January-2023
We are excited to report that the Protocol Support Committee obtained approval for CME credits as well as up to 10.25 nursing continuing education contact hours through the Virginia Nursing Association with attendance of our three sessions. You must complete the evaluations to obtain your certificates. The Nursing Certificates will be emailed to participants with instructions on how to calculate earned contact hours within 2-6 weeks post meeting. For any questions visit the NRG Oncology website under the NRG 2023 Winter Meeting access the CME & CEU Information.
https://www.nrgoncology.org/NRG2023-Winter-Meeting/CME-CEU
Mark your calendars for our next Semiannual NRG Oncology meeting July 20-22, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas about topics of interest for future meetings by emailing us at NRG-PSC@nrgoncology.org . Your input and participation is always encouraged and welcome!
Don’t forget: If you are interested in participating in our innovative Mentorship program, as either a mentor or mentee, we encourage you to visit our website at the following link: https://www.nrgoncology.org/Clinical-Trials/Clinical-Trial-Resources/Introductory-Materials . This program works to provide resources, support, and guidance for research nurses and CRAs.